April 2010 Archives
April 29, 2010
off i go
it's off to chicago today. i'm basically too fat to do any running, which is a bummer but that's the way it goes. we're staying in a reasonably posh resort, i think, and perhaps i'll try out an elliptical trainer for the first time ever. sucks, but better than nothing.
or maybe i'll get lucky and the place is posh enough to have barbells.
ha ha ha, who am i kidding?
April 28, 2010
ch ch ch changes.
tomorrow i depart for chicago, to eat hot dogs (with buns, sorry eris), deep dish pizza, steak, beef sandwiches, and, if there's time between the eating, to attend the world's most hyped pipe and tobacco show.
when i decided to go to the show i was gung-ho about buying some fancy and pricey pipes, but now i feel i may walk away empty handed and fat walleted. i may feel different once i'm there.
historically, when i go on vacation i return with bold new ideas and changes for my life, or at least for my lifestyle. i suspect this trip will be no exception (i may quit smoking! har!), and truly, even if the trip does not elicit any desire for change, my employer certainly will. it's doubtful i'll be quitting, but i'm being relocated against my will to a region of the building much less desirable than where i'm now sitting, for purposes laughably dubious.
Anyhow, changes are coming. In fact, I'm back here, so I guess they've already started. The seasons are changing, I guess, though they don't want to tip their hand much, apparently. BBQ season is approaching, and I feel bad that I haven't smoked ribs since I moved across the street. I aim to change that soon. I also haven't ridden more than 40 miles since 2010, another thing I aim to change.
I'm starting to read books again, I think. I'd stopped doing that and I miss it.
I've got a couple other things planned, but perhaps it'd be better to do them than to blab about them.
April 27, 2010
my beloved orange flip flop broke today
the plastic between-the-toes strap failed due to stress fatigue. i was able to repair the sandals enough to walk in them for the day, using only items found in my cubicle.
i feel that somehow my ingenuity as a human has been validated.
April 26, 2010
new blogging discipline
it doesn't matter if nobody reads this, i'm determined to revive my sad old mostly silent blog. the impetus has been facebook's recent actions, and though i guess i'm not as up in arms about them as the rest of blogistan, i am a perpetual discerner of slippery slopes, and i know that soon enough facebook will implement some policy so odious i will finally decide to close up shop there.
in any case, i went shopping for shirts last weekend and this weekend. last weekend was a total failure, as i was informed by both hops and spu that i'd like a tommy bahama shirt, and so we drove 20 minutes to palo alto to the tommy bahama store, only to find out that their prices range from $90 to $150 per shirt, a fact of which i was totally unaware, and of which, apparently, my ignorance sets me apart from the rest of humanity. i knew that being in the stanford mall, the shirts would be expensive, but I was expecting $50 to $70, because that's my idea of an expensive shirt.
anyhow, i didn't buy one, because as i explained this week, i didn't like just *one* of the shirts, and i don't need just *one* new shirt. i liked and need many, so i'd be on the hook for a cool grand before i could land a one week set, and that's pretty much unimaginable for me.
this week found me looking for the same style of shirts at hillsdale mall, and while i can say that they carry tommy bahama (shoulda checked there last week, doh) and that they do carry them at a discount, i'm still not paying $70 for a shirt that i'd have to wear with an undershirt lest my gorilla suit peek out.
i did, however, find the perfect shirt for me. it cost $15 and is ANSI Class 2 compliant. it's my kinda duds!
April 25, 2010
happy new year!
it's frobuary 1, YOMHC 0x61!
i'd really like to be rid of the beard, but within the last two days i've received no fewer than four unsolicited compliments on the thing, including a restauranteur who has my picture up in his shop.
April 23, 2010
pr
today at a body weight of 215 i deadlifted 355 for 5 reps. whether it was a single set is questionable. the first two were done with straps and were definitely the same set, the remaining 3 were done with alternate grip and probably about a minute rest in between each.
monday's workout was 345 for 5 reps, which is also a PR. looking back through my logbook, I see in 2007 I lifted 2 sets 5 reps, 340 pounds, sumo deadlift (and then a 380 pound single). today i attempted 390 twice and failed to remove it from the floor.
i wish i had more room in my life to devote to powerlifting, because i love it dearly, even though i'm not particularly good at it. unfortunately, i find that it becomes a suffocating obsession, blotting out all other activities, and certainly making me heavier, more tired, and less likely to be able to get out and enjoy the sun.
however, in contrast to last time, when I peaked in June, this time I've finally managed to get my affairs in order and my priorities straight: i dieted between Jan and Mar, while bringing my DL up to 305. After that, I practiced unrestrained eating, lifted 1 set of 5 twice a week, and added 10lbs (!) each workout. on this questionable routine, I managed to peak just as the weather is beginning to turn nice, which means I can happily bid farewell to heavy deadlifts until the weather again turns crappy and I feel no urge to go outside.
until then, I will (presumably) eat less, lift less (but not stop, of course), bike more, and get a nice tan.
April 6, 2010
happy new year!
it's Frobuary 3, YOMHC 0x60!
